(dis)Order
by Steele Rose
Summary: The Order of Heroes summons legendary soldiers from several timelines and worlds. But all of these armies are made of very strange characters. It would only be natural that the Order of Heroes becomes a band of misfits itself. A series of short one-shots revolving around various pairs of characters. Includes characters that are not in Heroes (yet).
1. L'Arachel & Cynthia - Bravado

This was Cynthia's time. In this kingdom's time of need, Cynthia of all possible people was summoned here to grant them salvation. This was her _**dream**_. She was here to deliver justice, be adored by the people of Askr as their harbinger of, um, justice. These Emblian soldiers were already no match for her for the most part. All she needed to do was practice her…

"Victory pose number 7! Hiya!"

Cynthia spread her feet apart and clenched her fists before punching the air in front of her with her right fist, and then doing an uppercut. She held her resulting pose for five seconds.

Someone began applauding behind her.

"Bravo! Excellent! Spectacular!" Cynthia turns around to see L'Arachel seated on a flat rock, clapping enthusiastically. "My, you give off such a refreshing air! And what vigor you express with your movements! Oh! I hope I'm not interrupting you."

Cynthia blinked. "Uh, actually-"

"Good! Pray tell, how revered are you and your heroic endeavors in your world, madame?"

Cynthia scratched her head and turned red from all the praise. "Oh, Princess L'Arachel. Um, I'm, um… My work is recognized and appreciated in my world… but…" She trailed off.

L'Arachel huffed. "Chin up, lass. No need to feel modest with me. I much prefer the confidence you exuded just a moment ago." Her voice was very melodic, like a lyre, but still carried the pride of a bass drum.

"O-oh. Um, then, yes! Back in my homeland, I was known as 'Wings of Justice'. During the day I battled brigands, monsters, and evildoers, protecting the commoners. During the night, I, uh, battled brigands, monsters, and evildoers, protecting the commoners… Wait-"

L'Arachel ignored the repeated phrase. "How delightful. I can see you value the safety of the greater good and protect it simply because you have the power to. Cynthia, we are two of a kind, you and I. I am sure you have already heard about my adventures from Ephraim and Eirika, correct?"

Cynthia frowned. Honestly, she didn't know a single thing about L'Arachel other than her energetic theatrics and obsession with helping others. Still, she didn't want to make her upset. "Of course! You're quite amazing yourself, Princess L'Arachel. Ephraim and Eirika speak very highly of you." She lied.

The Princess of Rausten didn't notice. Her enthusiasm and pleasant personality was certainly contagious. "Why, of course! May I ask what they said about me, specifically?"

Cynthia faltered for a moment. "Oh, u-um. Well, they just talked to me about, how nice and friendly you are! And, uh, how much of a help you are to them on the battlefield!"

"Anything specific?"

"Uh. I haven't spoken to those two that much."

Nevertheless, L'Arachel wasn't discouraged. "Splendid. Well, who else to learn about my feats of greatness than the woman herself?"

Cynthia looked around. They were right outside the castle walls, and it doesn't seem like anyone would find them here. "Um, right now?"

"Absolutely! You should take a rest. A lady should work hard, but never overwork. You seem like somebody who deserves the rest." She smiled sweetly, and Cynthia decided then that she couldn't refuse her.

"Um, alright." Cynthia sauntered over to take a seat on the grass in front of her.

L'Arachel seemed pleased with herself. "Now, then. Before I begin, you must promise me one thing."

"Okay, sure."

"You must tell me about yourself as well, Cynthia. Our time here may not be long, but nevertheless I hope we can become friends."

Cynthia frowned again. L'Arachel looked so sincere, and her voice was like an angel! The setting sun behind her only served to make her more radiant than any of the legendary heroes that Cynthia knew about before being summoned here! And she just offered to become friends!

Cynthia couldn't do this anymore. "Sorry, L'Arachel."

"Hmm? What is the matter?"

"I've been lying to you this entire time. I actually don't know anything about you, and nobody calls me 'Wings of Justice'. I lied."

L'Arachel stared at the ashamed pig-tailed girl in front of her pensively. While it was true that lying was truly unladylike and should not so easily be forgiven, the girl meant well. L'Arachel was older than her, so it was only right that L'Arachel talk to her truthfully and earnestly. Of course…

"I forgive you. And keep your head up! It is unbecoming of a hero such as yourself to look so modest."

Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "But I just said-"

"I have spoken to Lucina, you know. Even if your individual feats aren't recognized, your bravery and your convictions towards justice is undeniable. What I said before has not changed in truthfulness."

"The part where I deserve a rest?"

"What? No! I mean, yes. But that's not what I was talking about."

Cynthia tilted her head. "So what did you mean?"

"That you and I are two of a kind. Fighting for justice without concern for any reward or compensation. Though you lied to me about being famous, that can easily be forgiven. To be honest, I too wished to be famous for my heroism."

Cynthia tilted her head the other direction like a puppy. "Aren't you the Princess of your country?"

L'Arachel shrugged. "Yes, which is probably why I got over it. Anyway, my point is that you truly are a hero. Therefore, I forgive you for lying to me. You're young, and you meant well. Just promise you won't do it again."

"But-"

"Hush, madame! Do you refuse my forgiveness?"

"Erm, no."

L'Arachel stood up suddenly. "Well, then. It is getting a bit late. I suppose I shall go to the baths now. Care to join me?"

"Oh, um, sure!" Cynthia followed the ever-gracious L'Arachel as she pranced into the castle walls. The Princess of Rausten was right. Even though they probably wouldn't be in this world for long before they went home, they could still be friends before then.

* * *

 _ **The first chapter of what is hopefully going to be a long series of short one-shots between two characters in the Fire Emblem series. This means literally anyone, good, bad, Thracia, Tellius, grandma, uncle, cousin. I could write about any pair (or even group) of characters. It's been over 25 years, and it's taken this long for an in-universe crossover like Fire Emblem Heroes to occur.**_

 ** _Sacred Stones will always be my favorite in the series. Don't be surprised if there's an alarming number of characters from Magvel._**

 ** _I may update this once every week or two._**


	2. Nino & Beruka - Composure

Beruka stared down the veridian-haired girl before her. This was supposed to be a member of the Black Fang? Conversations listened into from Lyn, Bartre, and Oswin caught her interest when they spoke of a feared circle of assassins. As of now, Nino was the only member of that circle that had been summoned here. Nino was the only person in this garden at the moment. And Nino was most definitely one of the least feared heroes in this order.

Beruka took a step forward. The softness of the grass was able to silence her movement. Nino was seated on the grass and had her back turned to Beruka, examining a bed of flowers. The serene scene was sullied by the daunting aura that Beruka flexed. Nevertheless, the other assassin, if she could even be called that, didn't seem to notice her.

Not before long, Beruka was right behind her. Nino sighed, which caused Beruka to stiffen, but made no indication that she knew Beruka was there.

"I miss all of them."

And sentimental too? What manner of assassin was this girl?

"Tch."

"Ah!"

Nino somersaulted forward and took a tome out of her belt, which had been concealed under her cape.

"Wh-Beruka! Wh-what are you doing there? You scared me!"

Beruka had a knife hidden inside the calf of her pants, and another hidden on her belt, but had no intention of using them. "I was just watching you."

Nino waited for her to say more, but no more words came.

"O-oh. Why? Did you need something from me?"

"Nothing."

Beruka turned around and walked away. This girl was no threat at all. She had wasted her time coming here.

* * *

Beruka stared down the veridian-haired girl before her. This was the girl who successfully lead an ambush the day before? Word had gone around that Nino had succeeded in getting Valter and Astram to get along and collaborate on a surprise attack. Within a day, Nino had become one of the most respected heroes in this order.

And she was still the only person in this garden, just as she had been last week.

Beruka took a step forward. She didn't bother trying to minimize the amount of noise she made this time around. Nino, sitting in front of the same flower bed as last week, had her back turned to Beruka and was humming to herself as she swayed her torso from side to side. Once again, Beruka felt that she was ruining a tranquil atmosphere. Even still, Nino hadn't noticed her.

Beruka was right behind her again. Nino still hadn't noticed her.

"I wish Jaffar was here."

Again with the sentimentality?

"Tch."

"Ah!"

Beruka stepped back in surprise, and Nino did the same. Beruka made a mental note to herself to stop audibly responding to sentimentality.

"B-Beruka! You scared me again! Gosh, you don't need to sneak up behind me if you want to talk."

Beruka wasted no time. "I have a question for you."

"S-sure." Nino appeared to be afraid of her. It seemed Beruka's reputation reached her.

"Why did you become an assassin?"

Nino tilted her head and scratched at her grassy hair. "Gee. I, I guess I never really had a choice."

Beruka blinked. She didn't have a choice herself, having been raised by an assassin after getting thrown out onto the streets at a young age.

The colder assassin stared her down, this time from the front. Now that she was alert, Nino looked a lot more prepared for any attack Beruka might carry out. Calculated eyes, feet set to move in any direction, a hand on the tome hidden behind the concealing cloth of her cape. Despite first appearances, this young girl certainly had the makings of an assassin.

Maybe it was time to test her.

Beruka stepped an inch forward, and Nino stepped back. Beruka stepped to her right, Nino stepped to hers, still facing her. Nino's eyes remained focused.

The Nohrian assassin sighed and decided she'd seen enough. "I see. I will be going now."

Beruka was about to turn when Nino stepped forward again. "Wait!"

"What is it?"

Nino looked around, no longer looking as prepared to fight as she did before. "Um, uh. I thought maybe you looked a little lonely. Would you like to sit here with me?"

"No." Nino almost flinched at how quickly the response came to her.

"W-wait! I've heard about you. You're an assassin, right? Just like me. I thought maybe you looked lonely, because, um, well… I am too. But just a little! Anyway, you don't think we could talk?"

Beruka thought about this for a moment. Nino looked like a normal harmless village girl, but she was clearly a trained assassin. Beruka was also considerably older than her. The Nohrian was never good with words, but Nino had a ton of potential. Perhaps she could try and teach the young girl a few things.

She nodded her head. "Understood. Perhaps we may find a more fitting place to talk?"

Nino seemed surprised by her response and looked around. "Um, what's wrong with where we are now?"  
Beruka closed her eyes. "I see. In that case, let us begin immediately. What is your preferred metho-"

"Great!" The green-haired mage smiled brightly and sat back down onto the grass. "Aren't these flowers great? They remind me of some of the fields back home in Elibe!"

Beruka growled, causing Nino to back up and shrivel up like a puppy. "You are wasting my time. I must have had you mistaken for someone else, because you are useless."

She turned to leave then. To hell with this child. There was no way Nino was the starchild of a feared circle of assassins.

"I'm not useless!" Nino exclaimed. It was the first time she had ever raised her voice in anyone's presence. Beruka made no motion indicating that she was listening, so Nino continued, louder. "L-Lady Lyndis and Lord Eliwood told me so! I don't know what you've been through in your life, but you don't know what I;ve been through either! I'm really happy to be here, and I've done my best for the Order of Heroes so far. Everyone's been really nice to me, so I'm hoping that I can do the same for you. You look alone all the time, Beruka. I was hoping that maybe I could be your friend, because we have something in common."

The Nohrian assassin stared at her for a moment and contemplated the situation. Nino looked very determined to get what she wanted. It was the first time Beruka had seen the young girl be so assertive. Her eyes gave off a different vibe, a whole different star. Beruka was never one for fraternizing with her comrades (or anyone for that matter), but she supposed she could make one exception.

Finally, Beruka sighed. "I see. In that case, why don't we go for a walk?"

Nino's eyes gleamed, and once again she looked like an excited young child. "Really? Great! There's this nice path that goes around the entire castle and eventually leads to the courtyard. Why don't we go there?"

The older assassin couldn't help but crack a smile. "That is acceptable."

Acceptable is the correct word. Maybe it was a bit foolish to believe that all assassins would be just like her. Beruka was beginning to feel a bit at home here, and she may learn to enjoy using what little time she had with Nino. She was surprisingly not afraid to admit it to herself, but Nino's lively energy was a bit contagious.

Acceptable is fine, perhaps only for now.


	3. Lowen, Ilyana, & Moulder - Picnic

Lowen ducked as a barrage of arrows flew overhead and pushed his horse to go faster. Instead, his horse came to an abrupt stop and nearly catapulted him forward, the reins barely keeping his armored body mounted.

"Hey, what's the hold up?" Lowen questioned. His horse nickered in response. Lowen peered over to see what his mount was so worried about. The scurry-haired cavalier gasped as he spotted a slender body with flowing lavender hair sprawled out on the ground in front of him, a lightning tome a few inches away.

He dismounted and quickly took the girl in his arms before putting her on his back and remounting his horse. Since they were in the thick of battle, he couldn't check for wounds or check for signs she was still alive, but he couldn't afford to spend any more time stationary, so he quickly made his way over to cover. Fortunately, Father Moulder seemed to be avoiding the battle from behind the stone wall as well.

The older priest was currently tending to a wound on Ogma's arm. Knowing the gladiator, he was likely itching to get back out onto the front lines.

Upon seeing the cavalier, Moulder took his eyes away from Ogma for a second, which allowed the mercenary to break away and return to the battle.

"Sir Ogma! I've yet to finish healing your wounds!" To no avail, and Moulder simply sighed and returned his attention to Lowen.

The cavalier gently put the girl on his back onto the dirt. "Father Moulder. I found Ilyana lying on her stomach. Is she…"

The priest examined the girl for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "Well, she is breathing, so there is no doubt that she is alive," He looked more closely. "In fact, I do not see any wounds."

Lowen put a hand to his chin. "Huh. How curious."

As the cavalier bent over to look more closely, a small sack filled with freshly cooked rabbit fell out of his noticeably large satchel.

WIth that, the young girl on the ground sniffed, and her eyes broke open. "Food. Where?"

Lowen and Moulder both flinched, astonished at the sudden resurrection. The girl sat up and identified the sack. She took it, curiously sniffed it, and opened it.

"F-food!" She exclaimed. The small girl set the sack down on the ground and stuffed her face with the small morsels.

Lowen scratched his head. "Uh, yeah. Didn't I see you at breakfast this morning?" How could she be this hungry? He silently thought to himself.  
Ilyana ignored the question and spotted the satchel that the food had fallen out of. "Is there more?"

The cavalier blinked under his long bangs. "Oh, um, sure," The moment he opened his satchel, Ilyana jumped forward and looked inside. Lowen gently pushed her away. "Hey, easy there. I'm sure I have enough for you."

Ilyana wiped her mouth, some drool having escaped. "What is your name?" She asked.

"We've met before. My name is Lowen."

Ilyana intensified her stare. "Lowen. You're very nice. Lowen has food. I must remember that name."

"Uh, okay. Thank you, I suppose."

Moulder watched silently as the young mage ate whatever Lowen gave her ravenously.

Lowen rubbed his own belly a bit and grinned. "I have an idea! I have a lot of food with me. Why don't we have a picnic?"  
"A picnic?"

"Yes! I could go for a quick bite, right about now. We can't fight on an empty stomach."

Moulder looked around. Another barrage of arrows had just sailed overhead. "Right here?" He asked.

The two of them ignored him as the cavalier set a blanket on the dirt below them. "These ingredients are from here in Askr, but I cooked them with my homeland of Pherae in mind," Lowen said. "Look at us! An outworlder eating food in this world, cooked by someone from another world. Isn't that just divine?"

Ilyana abruptly turned to Moulder, which caused him to flinch again. "Would you like to join us?" She asked.

The priest stared for a moment before regaining himself and clearing his voice. "Well, we are in the midst of battle at the moment. Are you sure this is a great idea?"

The two of them ignored him again. "What kind of food is your homeland known for, Father Moulder?" Lowen asked.

"Um, Frelia's seafood is highly regarded in Magvel. Our fish is considered a favorite of the Princess of the Theocracy of Rausten herself!" He proudly exclaimed.

"Wouldn't that be Princess L'Arachel?" Lowen asked.

Moulder put his hands together. "I guess you would be right. Still, it is a high honor for our food to be considered the best by another country's royalty." He stopped himself, embarrassed to have enthusiastically answered him despite the inappropriate scenario they've created in the battlefield.

Lowen turned to Ilyana. "How about you?"

"Me?"

"Yes."

The girl thought for a moment. "...Daein's fish isn't very bad, I suppose."

Lowen finished setting the food down, and Ilyana began eating before he could say anything. "We could just begin, I guess. Please, sit down with us, Father Moulder."

The priest looked around again. An Emblian soldier appeared in Moulder's line of vision. The soldier seemed shocked to find them having a picnic before an arrow to the waist brought him down. Moulder simply shrugged and joined them.

* * *

As they were nearing the end of Lowen's outrageously large banquet, the action around them seemed to calm down. Soon Anna called for all to leave the field of battle and return to the castle. A pity, they still had some food left. Moulder silently wondered how and why Lowen would carry this much food with him to battle.

A red figure appeared from behind the stone wall. He was carrying a sword and... was actually covered in blood. The three of them deflected in shock.

"Hey," It said. "Do any of you have something to eat?"

That sounded an awful lot like…

"Sir Ogma!" Moulder and Lowen exclaimed. It seemed that he'd ended up doing most of the work once they began their picnic. The two of them supported the mercenary as it seemed like he was ready to collapse. Upon closer inspection, the blood he was covered in apparently wasn't his own.

Moulder grinned. "Ironically enough we still have some food left here for you."

The three of them turned to the picnic blanket to see a slender body with flowing lavender hair sprawled out on the ground in front of them, containers filled with food just a moment ago now emptied.

* * *

 _This was originally just going to be Lowen and Ilyana, but Moulder somehow found himself becoming a part of it while I was writing._


	4. Minerva & Ephraim - Reconciliation

Minerva had very few moments to herself. She was always busy somewhere, whether it was giving out orders to the Whitewings, discussing tactics with the other higher-ups, training, or being asked to keep her brother in check. Now she had the opportunity to relax, out of that clunky armor and exerting little to no energy laying under a tree outside the castle. It was refreshing, to say the least. Zenith was a strangely peaceful war despite the war between Askr and Emblia. How she wished her own kingdom could say the same.

"Princess Minerva?"

The wyvern lord glanced sideways to see the Crown Prince of Renais peering over her. Unlike Minerva, he was fully dressed in some light armor, a training lance in his right hand.

She stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

"I did not expect to see you here. Taking a brief respite, I presume?"

She nodded. "I don't get many opportunities to relax. I can see you are the same."

Ephraim offered a slight smile. "You're right. I had just finished training. I was hoping to rest under this tree for a moment, but it seems you've beaten me to it."

"This tree belongs to no one. There is plenty of room under this shade."

Ephraim put a hand up to his chin, as though contemplating what was not really an offer, but an observation. "I understand."

The younger man walked out of her sight and took a seat on the opposite side of the elm. The blazing sun overhead had caused some recent complaints among the Order of Heroes. This tree covered a very wide area that could protect many who chose to stand underneath it from the overpowering rays.

The young prince removed his armor and set it aside. His linen shirt was drenched in sweat, but he was in the presence of a princess, and fortunately for him, only he knew what had happened the last time he exposed his skin in front of a lady.

Though Princess Minerva _is_ very different from the one previously mentioned. Still, Ephraim decided to stay decent in case she decided to walk around. After all, he never knew how she would react.

"How are you, Prince Ephraim?" He heard her say from behind him.

Ephraim hadn't expected this. Princess Minerva usually opted to remain silent, even when spoken to on professional terms. She didn't seem to be one to initiate or indulge in idle chatter.

"I'm well, thank you. The squad I was last assigned to was a strange one, but we pulled through."

"Is that so? Would you mind telling me who you were with?"

Ephraim hesitated for a moment. "It was… Setsuna, Larcei, and… Michalis."

Minerva raised an eyebrow at this. "My brother was with you?"

Ephraim nodded to himself. "Yes. He's… a bit rash. I've noticed he does not take kindly to being ordered around."

"I see. I apologize."

The prince looks up, confused. "What are you apologizing for? His actions are not yours."

Minerva sighed. "As his sister, I feel obliged to take responsibility for his behavior."

"Please don't. When I find myself guilty of any wrongdoing, I would not want Eirika to apologize on my behalf."

"Ah, yes. Eirikia is your twin sister, correct?"

"That's right. The two of us, we're rather close."

Minerva smiled. Ephraim seemed to have sensed this from her silence. "Don't get the wrong idea." He added.

She let out a short laugh this time. "That wasn't what I was thinking. I'm just… envious of you two is all. Sometimes I wish my brother and I would find common ground every once in awhile. Ever since he killed our father in cold blood, we've become terribly disconnected. I wish there was a way for the two of us to reconcile. It would be the only way to properly apologize to Maria for everything she's been through."

Ephraim didn't say anything for a moment. Minerva rather liked it that way. She didn't speak to others often about the strained relationship she had with her brother. She didn't want to get into any specifics, but letting out the general problem to an ally was good enough for her.

"I believe there is one place where the two of you could find common ground."

Minerva closed her eyes. "And what would you know?"

Ephraim breathed in. "I didn't mean to be rude. I was just suggesting that I can think of somebody the two of you should talk to."

The princess waited. "Go on."

"Well, I know Michalis has only just recently arrived, but I've seen his interactions with Maria. She seems to be the only one to be able to hold a proper conversation with the man, and the only one never to be rudely dismissed. Forgive me, but I can say something similar about you. Maria brings out a... different side of you two. The three of you are siblings. Have you not thought of speaking to one another about this? It's the only way anything will ever get done."

Minerva thought about this for a moment. Michalis once willingly held Maria hostage in order to keep Minerva on a leash. Even now, Minerva had not and likely will never forgive him for this. And the young girl still loved the two of them as much as she ever had. If what Ephraim was saying was true, maybe Michalis' soul was still intact after all.

"I… will see if I can talk to the two of them about it. Michalis will take some convincing, but I think Maria will be enough to make him agree."

"Maria will certainly be very happy about this," Ephraim says. "I have never had issues with my family, but I can't imagine there ever being a falling out between Eirika and I. Maria must be torn to see the two of you fighting.

Minerva blinks, a new surge of resolve overcoming her. She stands up. The sun had lowered a bit, and the shade was beginning to leave her side and cover more of Ephraim's. "You're right. I will go and do that right now. Thank you, Ephraim. I didn't expect somebody from another world to convince me to take the initiative."

"I'd hate to do nothing while I watch a family get torn apart. At the very least, do this for Maria. She really is a sweet young girl."

Minerva puts a hand on her hip. "One day, you should tell me about yourself, Ephraim. I think the two of us can get along."

With that, Ephraim heard the sound of the crunching of grass, and the increasing quiet as she became farther and farther. Sighing, Ephraim looked around to make sure he was alone. Then, he removed his drenched shirt and set it on top of his armor.

"C-cad! How uncouth!" Ephraim froze and looked aside without moving his head towards the sound of the voice. L'Arachel had been hiding behind a bush. It seemed like she had observed their conversation.

Before he could say anything, the glass orb of an oddly accurately thrown Mend staff landed square on his head.

"Oh! Oh, oh dear. I didn't mean to do that. Ephraim, Ephraim! Eph-" Was all he could hear before his consciousness left him.

* * *

 _Probably should have mentioned that I don't take hard requests because I'm not entirely on a set schedule, and my updates are usually very sporadic. Suggestions are actually very helpful in some cases._

 _Should probably write a bit about Judgral soon._


	5. Lex & Legion - Self

_**I know it's been a while, sorry.**_

* * *

"We can take care of itses!" The masked man exclaimed. Lex glanced at Renning unconvincingly, who returned his gaze with a raised eyebrow and a smirk before returning to Legion.

"In that case, I will leave the both of you to it. Commander Anna expects these chores to be complete by sundown, and I would assume it is in your best interest not to face her combined wrath with the summoner's."

"Of course, sir." Lex affirms. Renning took one last look at the two before nodding and leaving the cramped room. The duke of Dozel retook his seat on the wooden bench and began to reinforce the bindings on the armor. Legion was in the corner reorganizing inventory.

The blue-haired man was surprised when Legion was summoned. From what he had heard, Legion was supposed to be just as plentiful as his name suggested, and he expected a violent and uncontrollable beast of an army to invade the Order of Heroes.

Instead, here was an individual masked man who was surprisingly docile and seamlessly carried out the tasks he was given.

"Legion." He called out. The masked man turned his head to him with a 'hm?' This would not be the first time the two of them conversed, but Lex did not make an attempt to dig into Legion as an individual. Despite his "brothers" being nowhere to be found, Legion still went about his day as though he were surrounded by multiple versions of himself.

"How are things? I trust you've figured yourself into integrating into the Order."

The masked man simply shrugged and said. "We are okayses." Then, he returned to his work.

Though Renning's presence made Lex restrain his usually hot temper, there was still something itching at his back that told him he should try and challenge the masked man to a sparring match. They were both axemen, after all. Of course, there was still work to be done. After seeing Commander Anna scold Mae and Boey into repenting their very existences after failing to organize the inventory before a battle, Lex did not want to be next on that list.

Lex carefully replaced and then reinforced the vamplate on a used lance. While doing so, he couldn't help but steal a few glances at the other man in the room with him. Legion had not initiated any conversation since the two of them were called to the convoy. For someone as wild and ferocious as he is on the battlefield, he could be surprisingly dutiful outside of it. Lex always wondered what it must have felt like to be on the receiving end of Legion's blows.

Perhaps asking couldn't hurt.

"Hey, Legion."

"Hmm?" The man responded without turning around to face him, still focused on his work.

"After this, are you up for a sparring match?"

"No."

Lex was surprised by the response. He'd never seen Legion deny anyone ever.

But then, he spoke again. "Legion is busy. Ask us againses after we are finished."

Lex stared at him for a moment. Was this guy even human? What kind of response was that?

Nevertheless, Lex had no choice but to comply. "Um, sure."

The two became quiet again and continued working.

* * *

"Lex."

The addressed looked up from the sword he had just finished sharpening.

Legion handed him an axe, a burlap sack covering the head.

"We are finished with inventory, but we have one more weapon we need you to inspectses. This axe has been worn. Used upses. Fight after fight after fight after fight after fight after fight."

Lex merely raised an eyebrow at him before removing the sack. Upon inspecting the weapon, he quickly made a realization.

"Hey." The Duke of Dozel's youngest gave Legion a hard stare. The masked men remained motionless. "This is your axe, isn't it? Why don't you just do it yourself?"

Legion remained silent for a moment. Lex wasn't sure if Legion was thinking of what to say or if he was studying him closely. His eyes did not move. Not a blink.

Finally, he spoke. "Legion agrees to spar with youses. We will go straight to the training groundses and wait for you there. No detours, not distractionses. We will leave the axe with you until you finish."

With that, the masked man simply turned and exited the room, much cleaner and tidier than when he had entered.

* * *

"Well, I'm here."

Lex made his presence known, though Legion had already been staring him down the moment he appeared within eyesight. The masked man stood up and tossed him a training axe, which surprised the other man.

Lex dropped the sack he was carrying and reached a hand out reflexively. After juggling it for a bit, Lex was able to catch the axe. "That's alright, I got it-"

Once Lex turned to face his adversary, the masked man had already been running towards him, axe in hand. Lex is able to steady himself and parry Legion's blow. He smirked.

"You're wide open!" Lex reeled back to strike Legion in the back, but a quick sweep of his feet knocked him to the ground.

Legion, still wordless, stood over him and attacked Lex again with a swift slash, who narrowly blocked the attack with his. Lex takes the opportunity to kick him in the chest to create some space.

The Duke of Dozel stood up again and tightened the grip around his axe. Legion remained silent. Though he wasn't wearing his heavy orange armor, the mask alone made him look as though he had all the protection he needed. He was always physically imposing, armored or not.

Lex moved forward again, sizing his opponent up, but Legion did not budge. Legion looked animalistic, almost demonic, in his posture. He was stiff as a board, standing up completely straight with his shoulders held low, his axe gripped tightly in his right hand. His head looked like it was about to roll off his neck. There were several openings in his stance, but Lex knew better than to underestimate the one (or, in Legion's case, the many) known as "Masked Maniac".

The lord held in a breath and set his feet. Lex was never one to back down from a fight. In fact, he was rather happy to see his opponent not waste time with words and get right into sparring. Legion gripped his weapon tighter as he braced himself. Then, Lex dashed forward towards Legion's left and swung his axe upward.

Unbelievably, Legion merely leans back to dodge it and then, in a move unfit for real combat, catches the head of the axe with his free hand and drives his own weapon into Lex's waist.

Lex feels the wind get squeezed up his trachea and out his nose as his breathing ability falters. The man falls to the ground clutching his abdomen.

Legion tosses his weapon aside and kneels down next to him. "Ooh! Sorry. We hitses you too hard. Is the burly blue lord alright?"

The young duke slapped his hand away and coughed. "Legion! What in blazes was that? If we were using real blades, I would have sliced your hand in half!"

Legion didn't budge. "Just like our hand, your entire body would have been sliced in halfses. Your large burly bodyses, in two pieces. Two halves, sliced up and up and up!"

Lex coughed again and stood up, ignoring the searing pain under his ribcage. "What's wrong with you!? In a real battle you'd have been left without any of your fingers!"

"But we would still be alive."

Lex blinked, disbelief and rage still welling up between his ears. However, he did not have a retort. As wrong as it was, Legion made it seem like it was the logical thing to do.

When Legion noticed his opponent remain silent, he continued. "Legion is many, many many! We are allses expendableses. Our purpose in the field is to kill allses of our master's enemies. To that endses, we do everything we can to make sureses that is fulfilled. We do not know painses, our purpose is the only thing that matterses."

Lex clenched a fist. He knew it wasn't a rational human being telling him this. There was much more Legion wasn't telling him, but Lex knew that Legion wasn't the type of person to say much anyway. Still, the fact that he was able to talk about himself as an expendable asset, something so useful yet unimportant that it can be thrown away, abused, mishandled in any way. Something about this made Lex's blood boil, but he couldn't quite understand why.

"You're crazy!"

It was all he could say. Lex felt like anything else he tried to say and explain would just go over Legion's masked head.

Legion merely shrugged and walked past him. "Anyway. You shouldn't worry about this fightses. Just from this fight alone we can see the fighter that you are. If you were weaker, we would not have botheredses. Legion's hand would not be in half."

Then, the masked man bent down to pick up the sack that Lex had dropped earlier. "Thank youses. The summoner and the commanderses told us that we are in the same squadses in battle tomorrow. "

As the man walked away, Lex called out to him one last time, "Hey. Legion!"

Legion stopped for a moment. "Hmm?"

Lex paused, staring at the ground for a moment before continuing, "You know, in the Order of Heroes you're a unique individual. Why don't you try referring to yourself singularly for once?"

The masked man seemed to think about this for a moment. "We do not understand what you meanses."

Lex walked over and picked up the training axe he had dropped during their sparring session. "Well, I think you're unlike everyone else from the Order. As far as I know, you're the only Legion we have, and you don't seem to take after anybody else. Haven't you ever given the thought that maybe you're a unique individual rather than a drone in legion?"

Legion turned back around and stared at him. Lex felt a bit intimidated. He wasn't quite sure what Legion was like when provoked.

"No," Legion simply stated. "I do not understandses. Legion is not an individual. There are many of us and ones of us, all in oneses."

This only made Lex even more confused. "Um. After our battle tomorrow, why don't we have a drink or something? Tell me all about yourself."

"You keep saying that word."

Lex raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"

"Yourself. Legion doesn't understandses."

Lex tilted his head in thought. When Legion was first summoned, Commander Anna and the Summoner had described Legion as some bloodthirsty savage of some sort who barely had anything to register as a personality. The masked man in front of him was neither of those things. Instead what he saw was a docile, complacent trooper who never complained and didn't understand what it meant to be an individual.

So, Lex merely walked past him, holding his side where he felt there was a bruise forming, and waved an arm. "I'll see you tomorrow, Legion."

* * *

 _ **Legion is a veeeery weird character to write dialogue for.**_


	6. Shanna & Soleil - Aptitude

Soleil was reading rather intently into a hefty book. Shanna could practically see her veins popping out of her forehead. The disgruntled girl began rotating the book around in her hands as though looking at it from different angles would help her understand it better.

Shanna skipped over to her, the soft grass under her feet lightening her quaint footsteps. "Hey, hey, hey! What'cha lookin' at?"

Soleil flinched at the girl's voice. She was so taken by the book she was holding that she hadn't noticed the sprightly mercenary approaching her. She couldn't help but blush because someone had found her reading this.

"Oh, this thing? It's just nothing, haha! Garbage, really. I'm just gonna throw-" Soleil tossed the book away, but cut herself off when Shanna sidestepped and intercepted it with one hand.

The pegasus knight rubbed her chin as she read the front cover. It read 'Ballroom Dancing for Troglodytes'.

"Wow," Shanna whistled. "I never thought you were the type of girl who considered herself a troglodyte, Soleil." She flipped the book open.

Soleil scrambled over to her. "H-hey! Stop it!" Even though Shanna was smaller than her, the young pegasus knight still found it easy to play keep-away with the book.

While the embarrassed mercenary girl panically jumped around her, Shanna couldn't help but laugh a little bit.

"Sorry, sorry! Here." Shanna handed the book back to the other girl.

Soleil grabbed it forcefully and shoved it down her shirt. "Let's just forget about this, shall we?"

The book slid down her shirt and fell back onto the grass.

Shanna couldn't help but giggle again. "You're funny, Soleil."

Soleil scratched her head. "Argh. Cute girls are supposed to think I'm cool, not funny! I didn't think anyone was going to find me here!"

The Ilian trainee tilted her head. "I don't see the issue. I think trying out new things is cool! You're interested in ballroom dance, Soleil?"

"Um. Yeah. My parents are both talented dancers. In fact, they devote most of their lives to dancing. Even my brother can sing and dance a little bit," Soleil spread her arms out wide. "I can't do either at all! Not even a little bit! So I wanted to try and learn, but I'm too embarrassed to ask my parents for help, so I'm trying to teach myself."

Shanna picked the book up off the ground. "Want me to help you?"

Soleil raised an eyebrow. "You can dance, Shanna?"

The girl shrugged. Beaming, she answered. "I don't know! But you have this manual here, and my sisters tell me all the time that I'm a quick learner. So maybe if we learn together, you can pick it up easier!"

Soleil looked Shanna down from head to toe. Shanna couldn't tell, but the other girl was checking her out. At first glance Shanna could almost be mistaken for a boy, but Soleil found the other girl's face to be rather adorable.

Grinning, Soleil grabbed Shanna's hands and nodded with fervor. "Great idea, Shanna! Let's get right to it!"

"Awesome!"

* * *

Soleil was spinning. Sloppy, ungraceful, clumsy. She didn't get it. Whenever she tried to do what the book was telling her to do, she felt like her legs were merely vestigial extensions of her hips and her feet were given minds of their own.

When she stopped to check what the other girl was doing, she felt like she was watching a dance prodigy.

Shanna's movements were unbelievably precise. Her arms and legs were coordinated like an orchestra and water-like in fluidity. Soleil couldn't believe that she was a novice! Her mother had been studying song and dance for years to get to where she was now!

The smaller girl stopped and smiled at Soleil. "What's wrong? Want to take a break?"

Soleil let go of Shanna, panting. She gave the other girl an accusing point. "Who are you!?"

Shanna tilted her head. "I'm Shanna!" She replied cheerfully.

"Argh! I can't win with you! Are you an idiot or a genius!?"

Shanna tapped her temple with a finger and looked around thoughtfully. "I don't know. I get that question a lot."

"What else can you do?"

The girl gave Soleil another shrug. "Not much. If I don't practice something regularly I just forget how to do it."

"So you can just learn how to do anything? And be good at it?" Soleil was genuinely intrigued.

"Dunno. I guess so. Every time it gets brought up my sister Thea gets mad."

Soleil took a moment to think. This girl was an anomaly. She was too air headed to realize how much of a genius she was.

Soleil gave her a look again. Though she dressed cute and her face was rather girlish, Shanna's petite frame and short hair had a lot of potential to make her look really suave. Maybe, just maybe, Soleil had something to work with.

She grabs the trainee's shoulder. "You know what, Shanna? Are you busy later?"

She energetically shakes her head. "Nope! I've done all my chores for the day."

"Awesome!" Soleil begins dragging her back towards the castle. "You know, I know this great cafe in town that a lot of cute girls like to go to. I think if we dressed you up in something stylish, you could make a lot of friends!"

"That sounds like an awesome idea!"

* * *

That night, the Summoner decided to retire a bit earlier than usual for the night. On his way back to his study, he found a stranger reading a book sitting on one of the benches outside the baths. He had swept blue hair and a small frame. The dark red jacket and slacks he wore exuded a strange aura of effeminate yet masculine elegance. A pre-teen boy, perhaps?

Though the Summoner wasn't exactly trained or equipped to defend himself, he nevertheless approached the intruder. The strange boy didn't exude any malicious intent.

He cleared his voice. "Um, excuse me, did you need anything?"

The boy perked up at the Summoner's voice and his eyes lit up.

"Oh, Summoner! I just got back from town. Soleil brought me! I made a lot of new friends!"

That voice-?

"Shanna!? Huh?"

The girl tilted her head. "Hmm? Is something wrong?"

The Summoner regained himself and cleared his throat again. Upon closer inspection, this was undoubtedly his pupil. "Erm, no. Nothing is wrong. You said Soleil brought you?"

"Yep!"

"I see," The Summoner pulled his hood up and gave her a nod. "Anyhow, you should get to bed, kid. Do you know where Soleil is now?"

Shanna knitted her brow in worry. "Actually you should go check up on her. For some reason when we arrived back here she started crying and went straight to her room..."

This only served to confuse the Summoner further.

* * *

 ** _I basically revealed Soleil's mother to be Azura in this without mentioning anyone in her family by name. Shanna deserves more praise._**


End file.
